Prima donnas: Eszter Sümegi

The year 1993 was a fortunate one for Eszter Sümegi. It was then that she received her diploma from the Academy of Music, graduated with the role of Tosca, won first prize at the Pavarotti Singing Competition in Philadelphia, and made her debut at the OPERA. She immediately took on a lead role, introducing herself to the Budapest audience as Mimì in the refreshed version of La bohème staged by Sándor Palcsó Jr. This first leading role was followed by many others in Hungary, with Sümegi quickly becoming the theatre’s lead soprano right before our eyes. Her repertoire consists exclusively of lead roles. After mastering Italian heroines, she gradually moved on to Wagner’s characters, and perhaps the crown jewels of her career are the delicate female roles of Richard Strauss. Naturally, Eszter Sümegi’s name is also well-known abroad. She has performed in several major cities from Vienna to Paris to Toronto and, as Sulamith in Die Königin von Saba. She even brought the good repute of the forgotten Hungarian opera as well as her own noble artistry to New York and Tel Aviv.